Jalen nodded. “You lead.”

The words were simple as a law. They grounded her. She cut the final fiber. The auroral vein went bluntly silent. The relay’s halo dimmed. For a moment, the entire Aeroplex inhaled, a synchronous sigh. The maintenance man let out a sound that might have been a laugh or a sob.

“I don’t want to save everyone,” Mira said, voice thin. “I want to make sure the ones who choose to be bound remain free to choose.”